Ability Stealer

The air grew tense as the villagers readied their weapons, but Mella was faster. With a swift motion, she conjured a barrage of iron spears that shot through the air, their tips gleaming menacingly. She aimed with precision, striking the ground near the villagers' feet and disarming a few without taking any lives. The sudden attack caused chaos among the villagers, scattering their ranks.

Andrew didn't wait. Grabbing Qein by the arm, he activated his super jump. The ground beneath them seemed to vanish as they hurtled through the air, straight toward the largest building in the village. Andrew's thoughts raced. If Bar-jui moved the eggs, this could all be for nothing. But it's the most logical place…

They landed with a heavy thud on the roof, the impact reverberating through the structure. Without hesitation, Andrew drew his sword and slashed downward, carving a jagged opening through the thatched roof. Qein stumbled slightly, steadying himself with a grimace.

"This is… a bit much," Qein muttered. "It'll take some getting used to."

"We don't have time for complaints," Andrew replied, already dropping through the opening. The house was eerily quiet, devoid of life. Dust motes floated in the air as they began their search, overturning chairs, shoving aside desks, and peering into every shadowed corner.

After several tense minutes, Andrew groaned in frustration. "This is a waste of time. Keep looking—if the eggs aren't here, they'll be somewhere else. I'll find Bar-jui."

Before Qein could respond, Andrew burst through the door, his frustration boiling over. He barely made it three steps before a sharp pain blossomed in his back. He staggered, turning his head to see an arrow protruding from his shoulder. The archer nocked another arrow, but Andrew was already moving.

Zigzagging through the chaos, Andrew dodged a flurry of arrows before reaching the archer. With a powerful leap, he grabbed the man by the collar and dragged him into a nearby house, seeking cover from the other villagers.

The man struggled, kicking and thrashing, but Andrew slammed him against a wall. "Where is Bar-jui?" he demanded, his voice cold and sharp.

The man spat in his face. Andrew wiped it off, his eyes narrowing with a calm anger. "Fine. Have it your way."

Grabbing the man by the legs, Andrew swung him through the air with a terrifying display of strength, slamming him against the wall with a sickening thud. The man's body crumpled for a moment before Andrew yanked him up again and hurled him into a nearby table, which shattered under the force.

"Tell me where Bar-jui is!" Andrew roared, his voice echoing in the confined space. He picked up the man again, this time slamming him face-first into the floor. "Or you'll be the first victim of the monsters hatching from those eggs!"

The man's eyes widened, blood trickling down his face as he coughed and gasped for air. "Eggs? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb," Andrew snarled, grabbing the man by his collar and shaking him violently. "The monster eggs! Bar-jui has them, or someone here does!"

The man let out a hoarse laugh, though it was cut short by a grimace of pain.

His face twisted with defiance. "You think you can trick us again, don't you? We are not fools! You twisted little devil!"

Andrew's patience snapped like a taut string. He slammed the man's head back against the wall, leaning in close. "We lied because we had to. Those eggs are a threat to everyone. Now tell me where Bar-jui is, or I'll make sure you regret it in ways you can't imagine."

Before the man could respond, a metallic clatter echoed outside.

Andrew froze, then tossed the man aside and rushed out to see the source of the noise.

His heart sank as he saw Mella lying bloodied on the ground, struggling to stand. Bar-jui loomed over her, an axe in each hand.

"You escaped too quickly," Bar-jui said, his voice laced with disbelief and irritation.

Andrew's anger flared. "Where are the eggs?!"

Bar-jui shrugged. "What eggs?"

Andrew didn't waste words. He unleashed a water canon from his hands, the force of the attack ripping through the air.

Bar-jui dodged nimbly, and the ground beneath Andrew suddenly flipped, its massive weight crashing down where he had stood moments before. Realization dawned on Andrew—this wasn't just a feature of the terrain; it was Bar-jui's ability.

With a powerful leap, Andrew avoided being crushed and slammed into Bar-jui, sending him flying back with another blast of water.

Bar-jui groaned as he lifted his head, but Andrew was already upon him. He bit down on Bar-jui's neck, injecting venom into his bloodstream.

Bar-jui howled in pain, kicking Andrew off and hurling one of his axes. Andrew deflected it with his sword, but the second axe came dangerously close. At the last moment, an iron spear from Mella's direction struck the axe, knocking it off course.

"Nice timing," Andrew muttered, glancing back at Mella, who raised a bloodied hand and summoned a fresh barrage of iron spears.

They rained down on Bar-jui, but he flipped the ground behind him upward, using it as a shield. The spears struck harmlessly against the stone.

As Bar-jui leapt back, Andrew seized the opening. He landed heavily on the ground and fired a water cannon, the powerful blast narrowly missing the flipped ground and striking Bar-jui's foot. The impact sent him stumbling backward, his balance compromised.

The flipped ground crashed back to the earth with a deafening thud. 

Andrew and Mella dashed at him, not giving him a chance to catch his breath.Bar-jui repeatedly flipped the ground beneath their feet. The shifting earth threatened to throw them off balance, but neither slowed.

Andrew fired another water cannon, the torrent tearing through the air. Bar-jui dodged with a sharp twist, but his movement left him exposed. An iron spear from Mella's direction struck true, embedding itself in his side.

Bar-jui grunted in pain, clutching his side as blood seeped through his fingers.

"Kill them!" he roared.

In an instant, arrows rained down from the jungle.

Andrew and Mella halted, their senses on high alert as the projectiles whistled past.

The precision and direction were unmistakable. It was the same ambush group that had attacked them in the jungle earlier.